A study conducted by the Automobile Club of America (AAA) has found that the cost of driving increased 3.4 percent over the last year — from 56.6 cents per mile to 58.5. While it’s easy to identify that gas prices are a leading cause of the increase, AAA also notes that car depreciation — the loss of a vehicle’s value over time — increased over the year, as did the price of tires. The good news? Smaller cars seem to be retaining their resale value better as people shift away from big gas guzzlers.

Earlier this month, the residents of South Los Angeles cut the ribbon on a brand new piece of green space called the South L.A. wetlands. What’s the transit connection? The park is located on a former Metro bus maintenance yard. In 2006, the city of Los Angeles allocated park funding to purchase the land. Beyond being a place for recreation, the park will also help capture and filter pollutants from storm water.

Writer Ken Alpen makes the case that the success of the Expo Line will depend in part on how the cities it serves take advantage of rail stations with adjacent transit-oriented development. According to Alpern, the key to good TOD planning is establishing a strong dialogue with the community and keeping new developments withing the same overall scale as the surrounding neighborhoods.